Chapter Twenty-One:
You know what Stiles hated? Awkward situations. That is why Scott McCall now owed him at least four servings curly-fries and possibly a DVD marathon of Stiles' choice.
For some reason, the trusting and adorable fool that was Scott, had agreed to a meet up at Derek's loft to discuss whatever the Hell Derek had asked them there for.
Stiles, as per his promise to keep her in the loop, had brought his friend Jane a long to view the proceedings.
As soon as the group of three arrived at the loft- Jane ran up to take her place sitting beside Isaac on the blue velvet couch. After Jane had become aware, she and Isaac had been…flirting? Well, technically it was just longing glances and shared giggles- but Stiles could tell that they had another "Scott and Allison" situation arising. Jane had even dressed in what she'd told Stiles was her 'boy fishing' outfit- a short flowy white dress with a tight waist. It wasn't like she needed to wear anything to impress the beta though-he was already pretty damned hooked.
"So why are we here?" Stiles asked, sitting cross-legged and leaning against a post across from Jane and Isaac. He fiddled with the ends of his blue hoodie- trying desperately not to look at the 'lovey-dovey' situation his friends seemed to be in.
Scott was sitting happily on the wooden table in the corner, swinging his legs back and forth and looking at Jane and Isaac proudly. Scott had always had a kind of 'older brother' thing going on with Isaac. At the start Stiles had been jealous of it- but soon he realised that he preferred Scott as a dopey best-friend, rather than the mentor that Isaac had.
"We have some issues to discuss." Derek announced, answering the teen's previous question. He was standing right next to Stiles, creepily staring down. The teen shifted uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny of those rainbow eyes. Derek had always made him kind of nervous, at first it was because Stiles was shit scared of him, but now the nerves were caused by something that wasn't entirely fear.
Stiles hadn't seen Derek for a few days, not since the incubus thing, where they'd parted with a barely-said 'see-ya'. It wasn't like he and Scott were actually very social with Derek- they only really got together with him to fight the supernatural and to plan about fighting the supernatural.
Peter, another man they rarely (and would be happy to keep it that way) saw, was leaning against a wall in a shadowed corner as per his need to be completely shady and villainous whenever there were innocent teenagers around to scare.
Dude wouldn't be so dramatic and smug if he knew the revenge plan Lydia had been cooking up against him. Stiles smiled evilly just thinking about it- earning a raised eyebrow from Derek in questioning.
"So these issues that need discussing?" Stiles prompted, looking at Derek with a big dopey grin on his face- as people's happiness seemed to creep the man out.
Derek coughed awkwardly, "Ahh- yeah, so I've set up this meeting to talk about a new supernatural threat that's entered Beacon Hills."
Scott and Stiles groaned simultaneously.
"Oh my god, can this town seriously catch a break already?" Scott whined, rolling his head towards the sky like he was asking the heavens "why have you done this to us?!"
Derek rolled his eyes at Scott's dramatics and said; "Maybe it would catch a break if you, your girlfriend and Stiles hadn't killed yourselves and basically ignited a giant sign saying "Hey all creatures of the night, Beacon Hills is a great place to visit""
Stiles, although what Derek had said could be considered an insult towards him, snorted. He'd tried to explain to Scott that Derek was probably one of the funniest guys they'd ever met- but Scott had never believed him, obviously having never picked up on all the sassy side remarks the Alpha had dished out.
"So what's the supernatural thing invading town this time?" Scott asked, glaring pouty at Derek for his snark. Scott McCall couldn't glare- that had been proven that time they were in the elevator with Jennifer and Scott's bitchface had looked so damn sassy that it was kind of hilarious.
"Winter spirit." Derek stated simply, almost nonchalant, like he was totally used to all of this supernatural crap…and if Stiles thought about it, he kind of was.
"A…winter spirit?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow at the Alpha.
"Oh- like Jack Frost?" Isaac pipes up, raising his un-even eyebrows in excitement.
"Not unless Jack Frost plans on slowly freezing an entire town to death." Derek deadpanned, staring unimpressed at his beta.
"Oh- that probably wouldn't make a great kid's movie…" Isaac mumbled, smiling smugly when Jane giggled.
Derek sighed, rolling his eyes. "A vengeful winter spirit." He said, "Probably died in snow or ice when it was human, and now just goes around freezing gatherings of people to death so that they die in the same pain."
Jane gulped and huddled closer into Isaac.
"Is that why it's snowing? Because I tell you what- it never freaking snows in Beacon Hills- and the small time it does it's just piddly little clumps of ugly ice that vanish after a few seconds. Right now though? It's like our own personal winter wonderland." Stiles complained, shivering a tad to add effect.
"Yeah, if winter wonderlands come with blizzard warnings." Peter snorted.
It was true, the past few days the local weather had been warning occupants of Beacon Hills and surrounding areas of a freaking blizzard- saying it was just some weird weather phenomenon and that everyone should rejoice over the random scientific awesomeness that is a snow storm.
"So how do you guys know it's a winter spirit? Are you just guessing? Do those things even exist?" Stiles questioned, looking up at Derek incredulously.
"We know," Derek started, holding eye-contact in a challenging glare, "Because two nights ago I had to drag Peter off somewhere to defrost after he encountered one on the preserve."
Peter groaned, "Do you know how long frostbite takes to heal? Hours. Painful, painful hours."
Stiles shot him a judging look, "You do realise humans can die from frostbite? And often lose their limbs as a result?"
Peter shrugged in reply.
"Ugh. So what are we going to do about this? You know, before the whole town freezes to death?" Stiles directed the question towards Derek, already having had enough of the elder Hale.
"We're going to kill it."
"Why does everything end with murder?" Scott muttered angrily, and Stiles threw him a pitying look.
"In this case it's because these things are pure evil without souls or a brain and the only real thing they accomplish in their un-dead life is to freeze colonies of people to death." Derek deadpanned, looking at Scott like he was an utter idiot.
Derek and Scott had often disagreed on the whole 'killing things' movement- Scott believing Derek to be a 'trigger happy asshole' and Derek believing Scott to be a 'naïve child who thinks he lives in a Disney film'."
"So uh, how do we kill it anyway?" Isaac asked, looking warily toward Scott like he was afraid the boy would disapprove.
"Fire. The only way to kill these things is to burn them to death." Peter announced.
Stiles frowned. "But if it's creating all of these winds, and causing all of this snow…how do you actually expect to get a fire close enough to it without the flames going out?"
Peter smiled- one of his 'I'm a crazy freak' smiles, "Molotov cocktails."
"Molotov cocktails?" Scott repeated, his judging tone leaking through as he stared at Peter.
"Peter is very adverse at making them." Derek nodded, "and it's not like you can really judge Scott- when two of your closest friends also know how." He was talking about him and Lydia, Stiles realised.
"Didn't Peter die last year when you guys burnt him alive via Molotov cocktails?" Isaac offered up- ever ignorant to the social convention of not bringing awkward things up.
"Yes Isaac, thank you ever so much for reminding me." Peter sighed, pinching his brow in annoyance.
"We're going to have to split up, search Beacon Hills for trails- going to the most suspicious places, like where Peter spotted it on the preserve and that place on the other side of town where that dog was found frozen." Derek announced.
"A dog was found frozen?" Jane asked her voice high and tight. Jane loved animals- a bird had once flown into the café window and broken its own neck, she'd cried for ages and then forced Stiles to help burry it and make a mourning shroud. Stiles hoped to god she wouldn't start going all crazy over frozen animals.
"Okay, so who's going where?" Stiles asked, looking up at Derek where he was still standing above him.
"Scott, Isaac and Jane can go to the 'frozen dog' site." Derek started, "And then you, Peter and-"
"Wait, wait, wait! Why do I have to go with the creepy ones?" Stiles complained, looking around the loft at every one.
"The creepy ones?" Peter repeated, sounding heavily insulted.
"Do you honestly expect Isaac and Jane not to go together?" The teens blushed, "And should we really expect Jane's first time out in the world to be with Peter? And you can't put Scott and Peter together in the same car, because we all know how much Peter likes to antagonise him." Derek had a point there.
"So basically I'm the one who's going to suffer the least going with you and Peter?" Stiles questioned, giving Derek and ultimate bitchface.
"Yep." Derek responded with a sarcastically cheerful grin.
"Ugh- which part of the preserve are we even going to?" Stiles whined- fiddling with the Camaro's stereo, searching for something to annoy Derek with.
"Stiles- just shut up and let me drive." Derek muttered, slapping his hands away.
Stiles immediately put them back up.
"So Stiles," Peter drawled from the back- resting his elbows on the back of Stiles' seat, "How goes that bestiary you've been writing?"
Stiles didn't entirely feel comfortable with Peter behind him.
"It's been okay?" Stiles replied, not sure why he even had to hold conversation with a man he had helped kill.
"Have you got much information in it yet? How many creatures have you actually encountered enough to write about?" Peter pushed.
"Oh- I um, have an extensive werewolf section? And Holly- that's the were-coyote from school, Derek's met her, her and her family have demonstrated and given me some pretty good points on that species." Stiles fiddled with the stereo- till he finally found a song that would drive Derek mad.
"What's love got to do with it, got to do with it?"
"What's looove but a-"
"No." Derek grunted, slamming his hand down on the controls- turning off the music.
"Oh come on! It's a classic man!" Stiles grinned. He could hear Peter chuckling in the back.
"No distractions while I'm driving." Derek gritted out, smacking the back of Stiles' head for good measure. Just like the good old times.
"Any other creatures?" Peter asked, drawing Stiles away from glaring at the Alpha.
"What? Um…oh. I met some fae in the woods? Yeah- they even wrote their own little sections for me, though Odette's was rather…violent. And um- I tried to write a bit on the incubi thing? But since I haven't actually met one and have only seen the outcome on its victims…I didn't have much to write."
Stiles tried reaching towards the radio again- but Derek beat him to it, punching him painfully in the hand.
"You convinced the fae to help you? That's a very honourable feat Stiles. And what about that Vampire friend of yours…Toby?" Peter asked, and Stiles could hear the hidden question behind his words.
"Uh- Yep. He gave me some info and stuff." Stiles didn't really want to explain further- especially not to Peter Hale.
"And how's he doing these days? The boy certainly seemed smitten that night we saw him in the woods." Stiles could see Peter leering in the rear-view mirror- but it wasn't at him it was at Derek?
Derek, who was watching the road, and gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turning white, was blatantly ignoring Peter.
"Oh- Toby and I…we kind of parted ways on bad terms? So I actually have no idea 'how he's going these days', since I haven't actually seen him in a while." Stiles answered uncomfortably.
"Oh, why did you part on bad terms?" Peter asked faux-innocently.
"I really don't think that's any of your business Peter." Stiles grinded out. Turning to Derek he asked; "Are we there yet?"
Derek shook his head, "We're still in town Stiles- the preserve isn't too far though."
Great.
"Can you at least tell me why I overheard Scott telling Isaac all about "That vampire bastard," and how he was going to "rip the face off of that asshole", hmm?" Peter inquired, his voice as shit-eating and annoying as ever.
"Peter I will repeat- that is none of your business." Stiles snapped.
"Fine," Peter sulked, "But don't think I won't find out."
"Fine." Stiles snapped back.
Derek huffed and kept on driving.
"Wait, why is Peter getting out here? Not that I'm complaining of course." Stiles asked, eyeing the edge of the trees that Peter was about to disappear into.
"Well Stiles- you and Derek are going to check the place where we saw the spirit, and I'm going to check the perimeter of the woods in case I can find its hideout or something." Peter drawled, and with that he was off- out of the car and running through the woods- a bag full of explosives on his back.
"Should he be running with those?" Stiles asked Derek as the man shifted the car out of park and started driving them along the track running through the preserve.
Derek shrugged, "We're in a car full of them on a bumpy and pot-hole filled road, he has as much chance of blowing up as we do."
Stiles sat there, his mouth opened wide in disbelief, "You know, that's not exactly reassuring."
Derek shrugged- his attention turned onto his driving.
Stiles reached to turn up the heat- shivering from the cold. He was wearing layers upon layers of warm clothing, but somehow the air still seemed to be getting to him- damned winter sprit.
"You're cold." Derek stated, looking at the small bumps raising their way onto Stiles' pale skin.
"No! Really?" Stiles exhaled, rolling his eyes, "In case you haven't noticed Mr 'I'm a werewolf with infinite comfortable boy heat'- humans get cold when there's a supernatural monster trying to freeze their town to death."
Derek's jaw clenched, "There's a blanket under the seat- use it." He commanded, making it sound almost painful to offer up helpful information.
"Thanks." Stiles muttered, reaching under his seat to grasp at a thick, grey, woollen blanket.
They'd both stopped talking- so Stiles entertained himself by looking out the frosty window at the trees flying past.
It was all white, just plain snow, snow, snow until…something black? Definitely something black, human sized and blurring in motion. Stiles couldn't see all that clearly-but it vaguely looked like it had two orbs of burning blue on its face; like aquamarine eyes. Wait, it was running alongside the car- actually keeping up with the car?! Okay that was a bit suspicious.
"Derek- I think there's so-," Stiles started to warn-but before he could there was a dark blur passing over the windshield and suddenly everything was spinning.
It happened in a blink of an eye. One second the car was upright and driving- the next they were spinning out of control- over and over in a loud, nauseating crash. The crunch of metal and the pain in his head alerted Stiles immediately; we're crashing. There were Molotov cocktails in this car. Shit.
Then, more pain in his head, his arm, his legs, chest…pretty much everywhere and Stiles couldn't notice them all because all of a sudden his brain had turned to mush.
Then they were upside down- Stiles vaguely hearing the sound of Derek shouting- feeling the warm, wet slide of something dribbling down his chin. Hands were pushing at him…unbuckling him? Yeah. And pulling him upright and out of the car- holding him up from the cold, wet snow. Wind whistled in his ears and cold bit at his skin. He was in so much pain.
There was shouting- someone was shaking him, trying to wake him up or something. He couldn't though- he could barely open his eyes, when he did all he could see was the icy whiteness of the forest snow.
Then there was a shape- that same black shape with the bright blue eyes.
More yelling, the person holding him ducking and fumbling for something…then CRASH-BOOM! The sound of shattering glass and billowing fire. Then the white gave way to oranges and yellows flashing and dancing so prettily.
He was so cold but he could feel the burn of flames close by.
Then they were moving- the person holding him having picked him up…they were running, his head going murky and dizzy- shivering with the cold as the harsh wind rushed by, freezing his ears and fingers.
He could vaguely hear someone yelling his name through the wind- but he couldn't open his eyes up anymore to see who it was.
The last thing his brain registered was the burning cold he could feel throughout his entire body.